Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “cosmic data”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1992

Radiation shielding estimates for manned Mars space flight

In the analysis of the required radiation shielding protection of spacecraft during a Mars flight, specific effects of solar activity (SA) on the intensity of galactic and solar cosmic rays were taken into consideration. Three spaceflight periods were considered: (1) maximum SA; (2) minimum SA; and (3) intermediate SA, when intensities of both galactic and solar cosmic rays are moderately high. Scenarios of spaceflights utilizing liquid-propellant rocket engines, low- and intermediate-thrust nuclear electrojet engines, and nuclear rocket engines, all of which have been designed in the Soviet Union, are reviewed. Calculations were performed on the basis of a set of standards for radiation protection approved by the U.S.S.R. State Committee for Standards. It was found that the lowest estimated mass of a Mars spacecraft, including the radiation shielding mass, obtained using a combination of a liquid propellant engine with low and intermediate thrust nuclear electrojet engines, would be 500-550 metric tons.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1985

Study of cosmic ray scintillations from 5-minute data of the scintillations telescope Izmran and world-wide network stations

During cosmic ray propagation in interplanetary space there appear characteristic cosmic-ray intensity scintillations which are due to charged particle scattering on random inhomogeneities of the interplanetary magnetic field. The power spectra of cosmic ray scintillations on the Earth during some intervals from 1977 to 1982 (for quiet periods, for solar flares and Forbush decreases due to power shock waves) have been calculated from five-minute, one and two-hour values of the cosmic-ray intensity measured by the scintillator supertelescope IZMIRAN. The spectra were estimated by the methods of spectral analysis and by autoregressive methods which mutually control each other and make it possible not only to analyze scintillation powers at distinguished frequencies, but also to determine the behavior of spectrum slopes in some frequency ranges.

Gulinsky, O. V.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The cosmic gamma-ray spectrum between 0.3 and 27 MeV measured on the Apollo 15

The spectrum of the total (diffuse and discrete sources) cosmic gamma-ray background over the 0.3 to 27 MeV range was measured with a 7.0 cm diameter x 7.0 cm long uncollimated NaI(Tl) scintillation counter located on a boom 7.6 m from the Apollo 15 service module. Data on cosmic gamma-rays were taken during transearth coast at various boom extensions, detector gains, and with the plastic anticoincidence scintillator enabled and disabled.

Trombka, J. I.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Estimating the change in asymptotic direction due to secular changes in the geomagnetic field

The concept of geomagnetic optics, as described by the asymptotic directions of approach, is extremely useful in the analysis of cosmic radiation data. However, when changes in cutoff occur as a result of evolution in the geomagnetic field, there are corresponding changes in the asymptotic cones of acceptance. A method is introduced of estimating the change in the asymptotic direction of approach for vertically incident cosmic ray particles from a reference set of directions at a specific epoch by considering the change in the geomagnetic cutoff.

Flueckiger, E. O.↗
NASA NTRS2012

Fermi LAT Search for Dark Matter in Gamma-Ray Lines and the Inclusive Photon Spectrum

Dark matter particle annihilation or decay can produce monochromatic gamma-ray lines and contribute to the diffuse gamma-ray background. Flux upper limits are presented for gamma-ray spectral lines from 7 to 200 GeV and for the diffuse gamma-ray background from 4.8 GeV to 264 GeV obtained from two years of Fermi Large Area Telescope data integrated over most of the sky. We give cross section upper limits and decay lifetime lower limits for dark matter models that produce gamma-ray lines or contribute to the diffuse spectrum, including models proposed as explanations of the PAMELA and Fermi cosmic-ray data.

Ackermann, M.↗
NASA NTRS1985

General consequences of the violated Feynman scaling

The problem of scaling of the hadronic production cross sections represents an outstanding question in high energy physics especially for interpretation of cosmic ray data. A comprehensive analysis of the accelerator data leads to the conclusion of the existence of breaked Feynman scaling. It was proposed that the Lorentz invariant inclusive cross sections for secondaries of a given type approaches constant in respect to a breaked scaling variable x sub s. Thus, the differential cross sections measured in accelerator energy can be extrapolated to higher cosmic ray energies. This assumption leads to some important consequences. The distribution of secondary multiplicity that follows from the violated Feynman scaling using a similar method of Koba et al is discussed.

Kamberov, G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Sidereal anisotropy of cosmic rays

The data of the ionization chamber in Yakutsk for 1954 to 1984 are analyzed. A false sidereal variation caused by the second spherical harmonic in cosmic ray distribution was found and it has the amplitude 0.020 plus or minus 0.002%. The sidereal anisotropy with a very small amplitude (not more than 0.005%) was observed to exist.

Kuzmin, A. I.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The source charge and isotopic abundances of cosmic rays with Z = 9-16 - A study using new fragmentation cross sections

The cosmic ray source charge and isotopic abundances for charges with Z = 9-16 are reexamined using newly measured fragmentation cross sections in a standard Galactic propagation model. Compared with earlier studies, the cosmic-ray data are now consistent with no excess of Si-29 and Si-30 in the source relative to the solar coronal abundances. The excess of Mg-25 and Mg-26 is now about 1 sigma or less relative to solar coronal isotopic abundances, leaving Ne-22 as the only clearly established neutron-rich isotopic excess in the cosmic ray source. Better estimates of the source abundances of elements obtained using the new cross sections permit the conclusion that high first ionization potential (FIP) elements have a wide spread of compositional differences in the cosmic-ray source relative to solar coronal abundances, whereas elements with a low FIP have a composition similar to the solar corona.

Webber, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Search for heavy antinuclei in the cosmic radiation

The existence of significant amounts of antimatter in the Universe is demonstrated through cosmic radiation. The data from the Danish-French Cosmic Ray Spectrometer on the HEAO-3 satellite offers an opportunity to search for heavy antinuclei, since all the relevant parameters (charge, velocity, arrival direction, and satellite position at the time of arrival) are measured for each recorded nucleus. Using the 22676 positive only events in the data seletion corresponding to L 1.5 as a measure of our exposure factor to heavy antinuclei and noting that no corresponding antinuclei were found, an upper limit (95% confidence) is given to the ratio of antinuclei to nuclei as 1.4 x .0001 for particles with Z 9. The upper limit resulting from this work is compared with previous results of searches for heavy antimatter in the cosmic radiation. It is seen that, if one regards only antiparticles heavier than fluorine, then the present result represents a reduced upper limit over previous data. When taken together, all the available experiment data now push the upper limit for the ratio of antiparticles to particles well below .0001.

Lund, N.↗
NASA NTRS1990

X-ray spectral signatures of photoionized plasmas

Plasma emission codes have become a standard tool for the analysis of spectroscopic data from cosmic X-ray sources. However, the assumption of collisional equilibrium, typically invoked in these codes, renders them inapplicable to many important astrophysical situations, particularly those involving X-ray photoionized nebulae. This point is illustrated by comparing model spectra which have been calculated under conditions appropriate to both coronal plasmas and X-ray photoionized plasmas. It is shown that the (3s-2p)/(3d-2p) line ratios in the Fe L-shell spectrum can be used to effectively discriminate between these two cases. This diagnostic will be especially useful for data analysis associated with AXAF and XMM, which will carry spectroscopic instrumentation with sufficient sensitivity and resolution to identify X-ray photoionized nebulae in a wide range of astrophysical environments.

Liedahl, Duane A.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Characteristics of large Forbush-type decreases in the cosmic radiation. II - Observations at different heliocentric radial distances

Cosmic ray data from IMP 8, Voyager 1 and 2, Pioneer 10 are used to investigate the heliocentric radial dependence of the characteristics of about 20 Forbush-type transient decreases which occurred from 1978 to 1984. These characteristics include the recovery time, the amplitude, and the time to decrease to minimum. It is found that the average recovery time is about 5 times longer at R = 30 AU than at 1 AU. The magnitudes of the transient decreases are observed to decrease about 1.5 percent/AU on average so that the magnitude of the decrease is half as great at R about 30 AU as at 1 AU. The time for the cosmic ray intensity to decrease to the minimum in the transient decrease is found to be greater at larger distances and is about 5 times longer at R = 30 AU than at 1 AU. The behavior of these effects as a function of radius is obviously related to the evolution of the disturbances causing the transient decreases as they propagate outward. A model of the Forbush-type decrease is proposed to explain the observed radial dependence of the recovery time and time to minimum of the decrease. The implications of these results for understanding the relationship between Forbush-type decreases and the 11-year variation are discussed.

Webber, W. R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interplanetary cosmic dust flux

Pioneer 8 and 9 measured cosmic dust flux rate data are in agreement with astronomy theory, zodiacal light measurements, and ground-based observations, but differ markedly from the high flux rates deduced from earlier in situ measurements. As many as seven orders-of-magnitude separate the small particle end of the high and low flux curves. It was concluded that the data from the multicoincidence cosmic dust sensors have not only measured very low flux for micrometeorites, which is in keeping with astronomy theory, but have also shown how a high flux theory may be based on faulty data.

Berg, O. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Characteristics of cosmic ray pole-equator anisotropy derived from spherical harmonic analysis of neutron monitor data

The spherical harmonic analysis of cosmic ray neutron data from the worldwide network neutron monitor stations during the years, 1966 to 1969 was carried out. The second zonal harmonic component obtained from the analysis corresponds to the Pole-Equator anisotropy of the cosmic ray neutron intensity. Such an anisotropy makes a semiannual variation. In addition to this, it is shown that the Pole-Equator anisotropy makes a variation depending on the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) sector polarities around the passages of the IMF sector boundary. A mechanism to interpret these results is also discussed.

Takahashi, H.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Status of LDEF ionizing radiation measurements and analysis

At this symposium significant new data and analyses were reported in cosmic ray research, radiation dosimetry, induced radioactivity, and radiation environment modeling. Measurements of induced radioactivity and absorbed dose are nearly complete, but much analysis and modeling remains. Measurements and analyses of passive nuclear track detectors (PNTD), used to derive the cosmic ray composition and spectra, and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra, are only a few percent complete, but important results have already emerged. As one might expect at this stage of the research, some of the new information has produced questions rather than answers. Low-energy heavy nuclei detected by two experiments are not compatible with known solar or cosmic components. Various data sets on absorbed dose are not consistent, and a new trapped proton environment model does not match the absorbed dose data. A search for cosmogenic nuclei other than Be-7 on Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) surfaces has produced an unexpected result, and some activation data relating to neutrons is not yet understood. Most of these issues will be resolved by the analysis of further experiment data, calibrations, or the application of the large LDEF data set that offers alternate data or analysis techniques bearing on the same problem. The scope of the papers at this symposium defy a compact technical summary. I have attempted to group the new information that I noted into the following groups: induced radioactivity; absorbed dose measurements; LET spectra and heavy ion dosimetry; environment modeling and three dimensional shielding effects; cosmogenic nuclei; and cosmic rays and other heavy ions. The papers generally are expository and have excellent illustrations, and I refer to their figures rather than reproduce them here. The general program and objectives of ionizing radiation measurements and analyses on LDEF has been described previously.

Parnell, Thomas A.↗
NASA NTRS1968

Particles and fields

Particles and fields research in 1967, including solar wind interactions and cosmic ray data

Kavanagh, L. D., Jr.↗